The Lion Guard: A Snowy Visitor
by Cresenttail
Summary: When a newcomer is found hurt in the Pride Lands, Kion is ready to make a new friend with an animal he's never seen before. This snow leopard seems friendly enough, but what about her past? Why is Rafiki so skittish around her? And what exactly is she doing in the Pride Lands?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own The Lion Guard or any of its characters, they belong to Disney! I DO own my own character Nekoda (Kody), because I made her up!

This story takes place before Season 2 of The Lion Guard.

* * *

Kion was bored. Ever since he banished the hyenas back to the Outlands for the thousandth time and settled petty squabbles among the different animals of the Pride Lands, nothing exciting or unexpected happened anymore. Being the leader of the Lion Guard, all the animals of the Pride Lands stopped to show him respect now more than ever, as if he were king! Kion closed his eyes into slits and stretched out onto his back to expose his soft belly to the warm Sahara sun. With it being so quiet, he had plenty of time for afternoon naps like when he was younger. He just wished something would happen soon.

"Kion! Hey, Kion!" yelled a voice from below. Kion snapped awake and rolled over to see who was calling him. His honey badger friend, Bunga, waved excitedly up at him. Bunga was Kion's best friend and the bravest member of the Lion Guard, but sometimes he was brave to the point of stupidity, like now.

He sat on the back of Fuli the cheetah, who looked annoyed about the extra passenger. Fuli is the fastest member of the Guard and the only female member, but that means she's also the toughest out of all of them. She bucked Bunga off and he face planted into the dust. "Hey! What was that for?"

Fuli rolled her eyes and retorted, "I told you not to hitch rides on me! How many times do I have to say it?"

"Once more, apparently," spoke another voice. Kion glanced up to see another member of the Lion Guard, Ono, hovering in the air. Ono was a cattle egret, a bird, so appropriately he was the keenest of sight in the Guard. While the two quarreled below, Ono flew up to where Kion lay and landed next to him. "Guess it was a good thing I came along, I wasn't sure these two would give you the message on their own."

"Why? Is there something going on?" the lion cub asked. Ono only nodded, still watching the fight below. Kion sat up at that, it seems he was about to get his wish. He jumped down off the rock and in between his two friends. "Hey! Did you forget that you guys rushed all the way over here to tell me something? Or was it not that important?"

Bunga immediately snapped out of his anger and his carefree grin returned. Fuli stopped growling, but she still looked irritated. It was Ono who answered him, "It seems there's an intruder in the Pride Lands."

Kion was confused. "It seems? Is there or isn't there?" Ono looked lost.

Fuli stepped in to tell this part. "We got a report from an aardvark that there was someone sleeping in his den again. He wanted us to get rid of them-"

"The jackals are back?" Kion asked worriedly. Even though it was relatively easy to drive them out, he was not eager to see the family of sneaks that tricked him into thinking they were friendly just to steal every other animal's food during Kupatana.

The cheetah was quick to calm him. "No, no, although that's what we thought at first. Since it was on the way to meet you, we decided to check it out for ourselves."

"And it wasn't a jackal!" exclaimed Bunga.

Fuli shook her spotted head in irritation. "Yes, Bunga! We've established that already!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Why do you always-" They started to argue again.

Ono continued explaining to Kion while the two friends bickered, "Like Bunga said, it wasn't a jackal. It's something I've never seen before and she looked hurt. We couldn't wake her up, so that's when we decided to get you."

Kion nodded. He glanced around before adopting a confused expression. "Come to think of it, where's Beshte? Wasn't he with you guys?" Beshte, a hippo, was the final member of the Lion Guard, holding the title of the strongest. Given his large stature it was odd that Kion had missed him.

"We decided to bring the intruder to Rafiki since she seemed to be hurt and unconscious. The three of us went on ahead to warn you, but he should be coming now."

Sure enough, a lumbering form came into view. Beshte was making his way as fast as he could without disturbing the passenger sprawled out on his back. It took a minute before Kion could make out the features of the newcomer and he thought that they looked decidedly familiar.

The intruder appeared to have a lion's stature, close to Kion's age, but she was bulkier. She had a thicker coat with spots all over… That's it! She looked like a leopard! The only difference was the spots, these ones were closer to Fuli's than an actual leopard, and the color. Unlike the normal cream-colored leopards he encountered before, this leopard had a light gray, almost white coat. It reflected the sun quite brightly and Kion had to screw his eyes up against the glare to keep from being blinded.

Kion turned to his friends. "Okay, Fuli, Ono, go warn Rafiki about our injured visitor. Bunga, go help Beshte take her to the Guard's hangout, she can rest there until she wakes up. I'm going to go speak with my dad and see if he knows what kind of animal she is and where she comes from."

They all nodded and sped off without a word. Kion took one last look at the mysterious visitor before turning and running up to the top of Pride Rock. He found his father, Simba, speaking quietly to his mother, Nala, in the throne room. It seems Simba got a break from his kingly duties as well.

Simba turned confusedly at his son's brash entrance. "Kion? Is something wrong?"

"Dad, there's someone, uh, new. She fell asleep in an aardvark den so the Guard was asked to remove her. Problem is she seems hurt and she won't wake up." Simba opened his mouth to speak, but Kion plowed ahead with his tale, "We decided to take her to Rafiki to see if he could do anything, but there's something I needed to ask you."

The king of the Pride Lands looked thoughtful. News of someone new was rare, he would need to investigate this 'intruder' himself. Simba spoke when he realized Kion was waiting for a response, "That was the right thing to do, Kion. What is it you needed to ask me?"

Kion stopped and picked his words with care. He spoke slowly, unsure of how to correctly phrase the question, "Um, well. I'm trying to figure out what species she is. It seems like this newcomer is a leopard, but also not a leopard."

"Huh? What do you mean? How can she be a leopard but also not a leopard?"

"Well she certainly _looks_ like a leopard, shape wise, but her coloring is off and the spots are slightly different. Her coat is white, not cream like the other leopards I've met. The spots on her body are also smaller and only black."

Simba turned to Nala in astonishment. "I need to see."

Kion then found himself following his father down to the Guard's hangout. When they arrived they noticed that his friends were crowding around an alcove near the back. Rafiki was already at work, trying to heal the young cub and help her to wake. When he noticed the king waiting patiently, he quickly finished wrapping a leaf binding around her stomach. He spoke without his usual cheer, "Simba..."

"I know."

Kion was getting annoyed at being ignorant. "Well I don't! What is she dad?"

Simba chuckled at his son's frustration. "I don't mean to keep you in the dark, Kion. I'm just surprised is all. Truthfully, I've only heard stories of this species before and I never thought the Pride Lands would ever see one."

"So you know what she is?" asked Fuli.

He nodded. "Yes. You were partially correct, Kion, when you said she was a leopard. She's what is known as a snow leopard."

Recognition lit the young cub's face. "Snow? Like with the gorillas?"

"Yes and no. She lives in a habitat similar to theirs, but normally snow leopards are found to the far north. Farther than any king has ever traveled. The only reason that I know about them is from the gorillas. Apparently one wandered far enough south to come into contact with their tribe, but left soon after." Simba walked closer to the sleeping form. "You see she has a much thicker coat than you or I because she lives in a place where it is snowing all the time. She can't handle heat very well."

Rafiki spoke up, "Now the only question is clear. Why has she come so far south?"

Nala, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, "Well that answer will have to wait until she wakes up. Regardless, I don't think she meant any harm. Besides, she can't be much older than Kiara."

Simba agreed, "Right. She's not a prisoner until we get some answers. Rafiki, let me know when she wakes up."

"Of course."

"Kion, you better get back out there. There's probably something you need to take care of."

"Sure, dad." Kion decided to leave it to his parents, as much as he wanted to stay, and gathered the Guard, "Well, come on everyone. We've got a patrol to do. I'm sure Janja and his hyenas are back again while we've been distracted."

As the Lion Guard left the cave, Simba took another look at the young cub. He felt a flash of anger and fear for a split second when he saw that she possessed a scar over her eye akin to his uncle's. He had to shake his head to remove the memories of his childhood, reminding himself that this was only a cub, not even a lion and definitely NOT Scar. He hoped she woke soon.

* * *

And that's that! My first ever story, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own The Lion Guard or any of its characters, they belong to Disney! I DO own my own character Nekoda (Kody) because I made her up!

This story takes place before Season 2 of The Lion Guard.

* * *

Nekoda was having the best dream ever. She was back home, surrounded by freshly fallen snow, belly full from a meal shared with her family, and a long day of lounging around ahead of her. She almost didn't want to leave it. _Mmm… I'm so comfy. The ground is nice and cool, my side doesn't hurt as much, and I haven't slept better in weeks._ She mused. These were the first things that came to mind as the snow leopard returned to the waking world. She purred contentedly, deciding to relish in her pleasant dream and comfortable thoughts for a while longer. Her ear twitched as she heard movement around her. _Wait a minute. Cool ground? Movement? I thought I passed out in the middle of the Sa_ _vannah_ _alone!_

She jerked awake, sitting up fast enough to smack her head on the low outcropping hanging over where she had been sleeping. "OW!" As she rubbed the back of her head with her paw, she heard a subtle noise. A gurgling, choking sound. Giggling.

She looked up to see a young lion cub, a bright red plume on his head and tail. She was so startled at the sudden appearance of a lion, she backed up only to clunk her head against the outcropping again, "Ah!"

The subtle giggling amplified to full blown laughter. She looked to see the lion cub now rolling on the floor, unable to remain standing from his bout of uncontrollable glee. Through the throbbing of her skull, Nekoda managed to glare at the cub as he calmed down. Finally, the mysterious lion spoke, "Sorry, sorry. That was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time."

"Really? I couldn't tell through all the laughing!"

He sat up and looked sheepish, smiling nervously. "I mean it, sorry. My name's Kion. What's yours?"

Still irritated, she introduced herself reluctantly, "Nekoda. My friends call me Kody."

"Nice to meet you. Anyway, are you okay?"

Kody sighed, "Yeah, in fact, I feel better than I have been for a few weeks." She stood up to gesture at her back. "What is this leaf around my stomach? It makes my side hurt a lot less, I've never seen anything like it before."

Kion stood and dared to venture closer to Nekoda in order to speak. The proximity made her nervous and she tried not to fidget, almost missing what he said. "Oh, that was Rafiki's handiwork. It's a medicinal wrap, glad it feels better. In fact, I think he'd love to speak to..." He turned his head to look around the empty room. "...you. That's funny, he was here a second ago. Probably went to go get dad."

"Rafiki? Is he another lion?" she asked somewhat apprehensively.

"Huh? No, he's a mandrill!" he replied.

"A what?"

"Mandrill, it's a cousin to the baboon. A monkey."

"Right, how silly of me..." As Kion moved away, Kody was able to relax. It was then that she registered his last sentence. "Wait, dad? As in adult lion?"

Not realizing how freaked out the leopard was, Kion boasted, "Not just that! He's the powerful King of the Pride Lands and just ruler over all animals!"

"My, what an introduction, Kion," a voice spoke from the entrance to the cave.

Standing there was a monkey and an adult lion ten times larger than Kion. The lion spoke, replying to the monkey's statement, "Yes, I only hope I can live up to his praise."

Nekoda evaluated the two newcomers. She first looked over the mandrill, which she could only assume was Rafiki. He stood on two legs, but leaned heavily on the staff he carried, frowning as if he just remembered a load of work that needed to be done. While trying to be as close to the lion as possible, he also was careful to keep his distance from Kody. Curious. The king, on the other hand, was calm and, for lack of a better term, regal. His face held a gentle smile and his burgundy mane framed his kind eyes. He glided his way across the stone floor towards Nekoda with a spring in his step and gracefulness in his stride. The pure size difference made her painfully aware of how defenseless she was. The snow leopard vowed to pay attention to his words and her own actions, as she did not want to offend him.

Nekoda listened intently as she was addressed by the king, "Hello there. I am Simba, ruler of the Pride Lands as my son said. And you are?"

"Nekoda. Or Kody, if you like."

"Okay then, Kody. You are a snow leopard if I'm not mistaken, correct?"

"Um, yes. Why?"

He ignored her question. "And snow leopards normally live far to the north, right?"

"That's right, but-"

The king's smile no longer looked kind to Nekoda."So, I have to ask, what are you doing here in the Pride Lands?"

She shifted on her feet, all of a sudden uncomfortable answering any more questions. Nekoda was suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that this really big cat was assessing her threat level. She knew she couldn't reveal what she was doing, but he might catch her lie, so she offered the king a partial truth, "I'm looking for someone."

Simba looked surprised at this news. "Really? Who? Someone like you?"

"Uh, well, yes—no, maybe, I mean," she sighed tiredly. "It's a long story."

When the occupants of the room sat expectantly to hear this long story, Kody let out another huff. Thinking quickly she said, "I-I'm looking for my brother."

Kion looked on, confused. "So another snow leopard then."

"Well, yes-"

"So why the confusing answer?"

Nekoda opened her mouth to speak, but when the words failed to roll off her tongue, she sat in silence. It seemed she was done answering questions. Finally, after a tense silence, she asked one of her own, "Look, I don't really mean to be a bother. I'll leave your territory as soon as I can. Just tell me, have you seen another snow leopard?"

The young cub looked desperately at the king for an answer. The gleam in her blue eyes made it difficult for Simba to admit that they hadn't ever seen a snow leopard before she came along. At the news, she seemed to deflate, angry at herself for losing the trail. She didn't, however, miss the fact that Rafiki flinched whenever the topic of other snow leopards came up. Very curious.

She shook off the anger in a hurry, composing herself to speak with the royalty in front of her. "Is that so?" At this, she glanced at Rafiki, who avoided her gaze, but continued talking to Simba, "Well I guess I'll be going then. Thanks for the leaf around my stomach, see ya!"

Kody got about halfway to the opening when the young voice of Kion interrupted her exit. "Wait! You don't even know where you're going!"

She didn't know what to say to that. "It doesn't matter, uh, I mean… I'll just… ya know. Wander off in that direction."

The lions didn't seem impressed of her choice in travel. Simba's eyes finally turned sympathetic again as he spoke to his son. "Kion, why don't you take Kody to your friends? I'm sure that they are eager to know she's okay. Then you can show her around the Pride Lands."

Kion lit up at that suggestion. "Okay, dad! C'mon Kody! I'll have you meet the best defenders of the Pride Lands there ever was!"

Nekoda seemed amused at the cub's bounding energy and description of his friends, but she still shot an annoyed look at Simba for her delayed departure. He simply chuckled as the two left in a cloud of dust, remembering at the last minute to yell, "And be careful of her injury!"

The king slowly lowered himself to the ground and faced his companion. He folded his paws and spoke after a moment, "So, are you going to tell me what has you so apprehensive about our guest?"

"No," he replied much too quickly, before hopping away to work on his wall paintings. Simba could only lift an eyebrow at his behavior. Very curious indeed.

* * *

There we go! Chapter 2, yay. Sorry, it took so long to update, I wanted to figure out where the plot was headed. Thanks to those that reviewed, favorited and followed my story already, you guys are awesome!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own The Lion Guard or any of its characters, they belong to Disney! I DO own my own character Nekoda (Kody), because I made her up!

This story takes place before Season 2 of The Lion Guard.

* * *

Kion decided to keep his eye on Nekoda. One: because he was curious about her and two: because as soon as they both stepped out into the sun Kody's eyes drooped and her movements became sluggish. She wasn't panting yet, but it seemed like the heat would get to her eventually.

"C'mon Kody, I'll show you the watering hole! The rest of the Guard should be there waiting for us." Kion was glad he had told everyone to wait for them there, he didn't think the snow leopard would last very long. Luckily the sun was going down soon.

Nekoda shook her head bemusedly. "Yeah, sure. That sounds good."

As they walked, Kion tried to desperately find something to say. Usually he would have no trouble in rambling on about a story or asking endless questions, but there was something about this cub that made him nervous. "So, uh, do you have siblings? Uh, I mean besides your brother that is, I know you mentioned him before, but I don't really know much about snow leopards and well, uh, I've got a sister you know. She's older than me and is set to be the queen of the Pridelands, which is why I'm the leader of the Lion Guard-"

He was interrupted by giggling from his traveling companion. Kion grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I rambled a bit, huh?"

Kody took a deep breath. "Yes, but it's cute. Don't feel all embarrassed about it. To answer your question, yes I do. I've got my older brother who means the world to me and my-" She stopped herself and heaved a sigh. "I have an older sister too."

"Oh yeah? What's she like?"

She clenched her teeth. "I'd rather not talk about her."

Kion sensed that he may have crossed a line. "Um, well you said you were looking for your brother right? Wouldn't he have just as much trouble with the heat as you're having being a snow leopard and all?"

She chewed the question over, debating on what to say. "Well, that requires a little explaining. The reason has partly to do with why I'm here."

"Oh good, I'd like to hear this story!" Out of nowhere, Fuli appeared beside them startling them both. Nekoda jerked violently and subsequently tried to hide her wince. It looked like they arrived at the watering hole while they were talking. Kion watched as his friends introduced themselves to Nekoda who sat uncomfortably.

Once pleasantries had been exchanged and everyone was settled around the watering hole, Kion addressed them all, "Okay Kody, wanna explain?"

Nekoda took her time to meet the eyes of everyone gathered around her. She seemed to shrug to herself before beginning. "Alright, so the truth is, my father is actually a lion, not a snow leopard."

"What how'd that happen?" Ono asked confused.

"I, uh, try not to think about it. Problem is, I don't know who he is and our mother never got a chance to tell us before she died. My brother went to go find our father, but he's been gone awhile and my sister and I, well, we had a falling out, so I came to see what happened to my brother."

Bunga added his own question. "A falling out? What does that mean?"

"Yeah, and that doesn't answer my earlier question." Kion stated.

Nekoda shifted nervously. "Well Kion, since I'm half lion my coat isn't as thick as an actual snow leopard. My brother is even more lion looking than I am, he basically looks like a lion with spots. As for the falling out, we just disagreed on how to divide our territory, but I wasn't surprised."

"Why's that?" Beshte asked.

"We always fought. My brother was the one to break us up and with him gone… it was inevitable."

Kion realized something. "So to recap, you're looking for your brother, but what about your father? Do you think he's around here?"

She smiled sadly. "Well, even if I did find him I wouldn't know it. I don't have a name or even a description, but my brother was an optimist. He said he'd know who our father was once he found him, but I'm not that naive."

Ono spoke after an uncomfortable silence. "So you don't have any parents and your siblings just left you on your own and you thought, maybe I'll go on a trip to the south?"

That caused her to laugh out loud. "It sounds so dumb when you say it like that, but yeah, basically."

"I'm sorry," Beshte muttered.

Kody shook her head with a smile. "It's fine, stop worrying about it. Anyways, it was about time I went off on my own, snow leopards are not really pack animals you know."

Kion blurted out before he could stop himself, "But lions are! If you ever need to, uh, to have a place to stay, you can here."

She looked at him with a puzzled and slightly surprised expression. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she sputtered, "You hardly even know me, and you're offering me a place to stay? How forward of you."

Kion blushed and was about to retort when a scream came from a distance. Everyone except Nekoda stood suddenly and adopted serious expressions. Kion started giving orders. "Ono, go for an overview and report back. Fuli run on ahead and see if you can help immediately. The rest of us will catch up."

They all sped off and after a moment, Nekoda followed after them. She had been curious as to what exactly this 'Lion Guard' did and it seemed that she was about to find out.

* * *

Okay everyone another chapter! I know, I know, it's been WAY too long and I'M SO SORRY! So much has happened since Chapter 2. School started up again, I got a summer job, and I may be moving really soon so life really didn't want me to write anything lately, but I should get back into updating a bit more regularly now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own The Lion Guard or any of its characters, they belong to Disney! I DO own my own character Nekoda (Kody), because I made her up!

This story takes place before Season 2 of The Lion Guard.

* * *

They needn't have bothered running so quickly. Kion and the rest of the Guard arrived to find Ono in a tree unconcerned and Fuli sitting on the ground watching the scene before her with an annoyed look. Kiara, Kion's sister, and one of her friends, Tiifu came out of the trees opposite them, also out of breath.

There on a recently felled log was Zuri, another one of Kiara's, friends. Zuri was pulling uselessly with her entire body, but her front paws seemed glued to the bark. Apparently, she had decided to sharpen her claws on the trunk and got stuck.

"Did you really need to scream, Zuri?" Kion asked with a sigh.

Zuri rolled her eyes and sputtered, "I was _alone_ Kion! I didn't know how to get out and how else was I supposed to get anyone's attention?"

Tiifu jumped up on the log next to Zuri and said, "You know Kiara and I were just up ahead, the ear-splitting scream was a little over the top."

She sighed, "Well sorry, can you help me now?"

Kiara shook her head as Kion told Ono to go get Timon and Pumba, the ones that helped Zuri get free before. "Did you really need to sharpen your claws on every tree we come across?" Kiara asked.

"You know if I don't I won't ever be able to keep them as shiny as they are now!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, getting stuck is your own fault, you seriously need to remember how to get out on your own," Kion added. He inspected Zuri's claws embedded into the bark and noted how deep they were.

"How am I supposed to get out of this without help?" Zuri asked with a scandalized tone.

"Get out of what without help?" a voice came from behind the group. Everyone turned to see Nekoda slightly limping towards them. Kion could tell that she was trying to hide how out of breath she was. She came to a stop next to him and took a moment to survey the scene. Her eyes fell on the trapped cub and she gave a questioning look to Kion.

He told her, "Zuri's stuck. She was sharping her claws and can't get them out."

"Oh is that all," Kody replied taking a closer look.

Kiara looked suspiciously at the newcomer and asked her brother, "Uh, Kion? Mind introducing us to your friend here?"

"Oh that's right, you guys haven't met. This is Nekoda, or Kody, she's a snow leopard from far to the north. We found her passed out this morning and helped her get better from her injuries. How are you doing by the way?"

"I'll live," the snow leopard deflected.

Kion sensed an underlying tone to the nonchalant response, but didn't say anything. Instead he continued introducing everyone to Nekoda. "That's good. Well Kody, the one being nosy is my sister Kiara-"

"-Hey!"

"-the lioness next to her is her friend Tiifu and the one who's stuck is Zuri."

Zuri asked annoyed, "Thanks for the sweet intro, but can you help me?!"

"Calm down, Timon and Pumba are one their way just be patient," Kion reassured her.

Nekoda looked up at the unfamiliar names. "Who are they?"

Beshte answered her, "They're old friends of the King's. Timon's a meerkat and Pumba is a warthog, and they go way back with King Simba."

Kion swished his tail. "They used to help my dad get out of trees all the time. Once they're here they'll pull Zuri off in no time."

"They're going to pull her off the tree? That's dangerous and kind of dumb," Kody replied.

"What do you mean?" Zuri panickly asked.

She turned to look at the trapped lioness. Kody said, "If they pull with too much force, your claw will come off."

"What?!"

"Hey, don't panic. I can help." Nekoda jumped up next to Zuri.

Fuli asked disbelievingly, "You can? Really?"

"Yeah, nothing to it." Nekoda sat down in front of Zuri. "As soon as I start pushing, retract your claws, okay Zuri?"

Zuri nodded shakily, still thrown by the prospect of loosing one of her precious claws. Nekoda used her left paw to press down lightly on Zuri's stuck one and her right paw maneuvered to the back of Zuri's. Kody pushed gently until Zuri's paw slid forward on the bark and her claws became freed. She repeated the process with the other paw and Zuri was able to jump down onto solid ground once again.

The group stared in wonder at Nekoda as she leapt lightly down next to Kion. Only he caught the slight grimace she had once she landed. She looked around at the shocked faces. "What?"

"I guess we're just surprised is all," Kion said.

"Impressed is more like," Bunga added. "That was awesome! How'd you know how to do that?"

Suddenly, Nekoda was barreled into by a speeding warthog, signaling the arrival of Timon and Pumba. They burst through the trees announcing, "Never fear! Timon and Pumba are on the case!"

"Uh, Timon? You're kinda squishing my friend," Kion said trying not to worry. His father did tell him to be careful with Kody's injury and she hadn't even been awake for a full day yet.

Pumba looked down to see a particularly white cub under his hoof looking rather inconvenienced and in pain. He backed off with a smile, "Oops, sorry."

Nekoda pulled herself up off the ground with a groan. Ono flew in at that moment saying, "Sorry we took so long, they were practically on the other end of the Pride Lands."

Timon shrugged. "Well we're here now, so who's stuck?" He scanned the large group of animals but there was no one left on the log that would indicate any trapped lions. He turned to Pumba, "Uh, are we missing something or does no one need help?"

Pumba thought deeply. "Well, maybe _we're_ the ones that need help Timon!"

"What? No, I mean no one's stuck in a tree."

"Oh right," Pumba looked embarrassed.

Timon turned back to the assembled group. "Now, why are we here if no one needs help?"

Ono said, "Zuri was stuck when I left."

Zuri looked sheepish. "Nekoda helped me get free." She indicated the snow leopard when the two looked confused at the new name.

"Really?" asked Timon. He finally took a long look at the mysterious leopard. He seemed to linger his gaze on the scar over her eye for a tad too long. He shook off his unease and asked, "How'd you do that?"

Fuli rolled her eyes and said, "Well she was _just_ about to tell us before you busted in here."

Again all of the attention was on the snow leopard. Nekoda sent a confused glance at the lions around her. She said slowly, "You mean, you never _looked_ at your claws before?"

"What does _that_ mean?" Kiara asked offended.

"I mean, here look," Kody sat down and lifted up her paw, extending her claws out. "Your claws are hooked, see? That's what makes them so good for catching prey and climbing trees. The thing that you dig your claws into gets stuck between the point of your claw and the rest of your paw, so it can't get away. This also means that if you get the claws stuck you have to remember how the shape of your claw is so you know what angle you need to pull to get it out. Since our claws curl in towards our paws, pushing forward on a surface will almost always dislodge them."

Zuri was staring at her newly freed claws with wonder. "I never thought about it that way."

"Obviously."

A flash of anger came over Zuri and she stalked off into the trees with a huff. Kiara and Tiifu were soon to follow only Tiifu giving an "It was nice meeting you!" to Nekoda over her shoulder.

Nekoda bit her lip. "Whoops that may have come out meaner than I intended."

"Don't worry about it kid. They all get over it," Timon said, throwing his arm over Nekoda's shoulders. "And as Pumba and I always say 'Hakuna Matata.'"

Everyone smiled to themselves, some of them chuckling lightly. Nekoda was the exception. "Uh, yeah, that's great, and that means?"

Pumba answered proudly, "It means no worries! It's our motto."

Nekoda bitterly laughed. She smiled sadly at the ground and muttered, "No worries? If only it were that easy to just forget everything that was worrying in the world."

An uneasy silence fell on the group. Kion vowed to find out what had Kody so down. The amount of pain that those words carried suggested so much more than a simple disagreement with her family. She seemed to hunch into herself and forget everything around her.

Kion looked up and realized the sky darkening. "We should get on our evening patrol." He glanced side long at Nekoda who was still lost in bitter thought. He then turned to his friends. "Can you guys handle it on your own while I take Kody back home?"

"Sure thing, Kion," said Beshte.

Timon picked up on the atmosphere and offered, "We'll go along with them."

"We will?" asked Pumba.

"Yes we will." Timon elbowed the warthog.

"We will," he said.

Kion nodded thankfully. "Thanks you guys, see you in the morning."

"Later Kion," waved Bunga and the rest of the Guard plus Timon and Pumba disappeared into the trees.

Kion approached Nekoda and nudged her gently. "Hey, you okay?"

Finally she looked up and around, realizing that now the two were now alone. She blushed and muttered, "Uh, yeah. I'm good."

Kion cocked his head a little, "You know, you don't have to keep it all inside. My dad said that he could only really embrace Hakuna Matata once he let go of the worries he was holding onto."

She met his eyes with a saddened look deep in her gaze. She smiled slightly, but it never reached her eyes. "It's not always that easy when you have… unfinished business."

"Then take care of it and forget."

Nekoda laughed out loud at that. "Yeah, about that..." she trailed off.

"If you want help, all you gotta do is ask," Kion promised.

She glanced at him confused. "Why would you help me? You don't even _know_ me," she said finally.

He thought it over for a few seconds before saying, "I don't need to know you to help you out."

Kody looked down, "Oh. Thanks."

"But," he paused. "That doesn't mean that I couldn't get to know you."

This time when she smiled, the mirth filled her blue eyes and the two started walking back to Pride Rock. Kion didn't know if he was prepared to hear whatever was weighing his new friend down, but one thing was for sure: he would help her, no matter what it was.

* * *

Hey, everyone! Uh, yeah its been almost three months since I've updated, but I'm here now? Anyway hope you like the chapter, new ones _ARE_ on their way! Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed, it really gives me motivation and inspiration to keep on writing!


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